Tag Archives: Mri

Let’s face it, it wouldn’t be a normal New York Mets spring training without an injury – specifically to a pitcher.

Jonathon Niese is the latest and was sent to New York today for a MRI after complaining of pain in his left shoulder.

NIESE: Has MRI. (AP)

“I wanted to keep it quiet,’’ Niese told reporters in Port St. Lucie, ironically just two days after manager Terry Collins said he wants his players to disclose injuries. “It’s just a precautionary thing to make sure it’s not worse from last year. I just want peace of mind.’’

Specifically, Niese said his arm felt “dead,’’ which is a common occurrence during spring training and often stems from throwing too much too early.

Niese was in Port St. Lucie earlier than required to be, and there’s no telling how much he threw then, or during the off-season.

Niese, after laboring through two starts in freezing weather in Minnesota and Colorado last season – both games should have been rescheduled – later complained of stiffness in his back and trouble getting loose.

Eventually, Niese was placed on the disabled list, June 21, with a partial tear in his rotator cuff, and did not come back until Aug. 11.

Collins, speaking to reporters in Port St. Lucie, said the pain is in the triceps, which is a different part of the arm. The pain surfaced while Niese was throwing his second round of 20 pitches of batting practice Tuesday.

“Batting practice started and he felt fine,’’ Collins said. “And then he threw his second 20 pitches the other day. He just said at the end of it, ‘Geez, my arm’s just dead. Like, it’s dead.’ … It’s a precaution right now, but any time you’re sending someone for an MRI, obviously there’s going to be a concern until you get the reading back.

“He just said he’s got a little discomfort in there. So we’re going to go have it looked at.’’

Niese, 27, in the midst of a five-year, $25.5 million contract, has been scheduled to be the Opening Day starter, March 31, against Washington, at Citi Field.

The New York Mets have their tentative pitching rotation for the first series of the season against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field, pending Jonathon Niese‘s health.

Manager Terry Collins, as he’s said all along, will go with Niese on Opening Day, March 31. After a day off, the Mets will start Game 2 with Bartolo Colon and Dillon Gee in Game 3.

Of course, this is predicated on health. Niese, who had rotator cuff issues last season, returned to New York today for a MRI on his sore left shoulder. Reports out of Port St. Lucie say Niese has a dead arm and the discomfort is in a different part of the shoulder.

Until the results are in, there’s no way of knowing how much time Niese will miss. Presumably, if he opens the season on the disabled list, everybody in the rotation would be moved up a day with another pitcher added.

That leaves Zack Wheeler as the fourth starter, going against Cincinnati, also at Citi Field, and the fifth starter in the season’s fifth game.

The competition for the fifth starter role appears boiled down to Daisuke Matsuzaka, John Lannan and Jenrry Mejia. Matsuzaka, based on his performance in September for the Mets, and Mejia recovering from surgery, is the front-runner. Lannan could get the nod if neither Niese nor Mejia are available.

If he goes, this would mark the second straight season Niese was the Opening Day starter. Last season, he held San Diego to two runs on four hits in 6.2 innings in a game won, 11-2, by the Mets.

Colon, an 18-game winner last season with Oakland, figured to be the No. 2 starter. Collins also wanted to make sure Gee started in the series as he was 4-2 last season against the Nationals.

There has clamoring from fans on Internet message boards and websites endorsing Wheeler for the start, but there was no way Collins would lead frog established veterans for a young pitcher with limited experience. Also, this keeps Wheeler from the pressures of a high profile start.

When it comes to injuries, will the New York Mets ever learn? Zack Wheeler has been shut down for the season after complaining of shoulder stiffness last weekend in Philadelphia.

Smart move.

However, Wheeler was examined only by an on-call doctor at the park in Philly, and as of now hasn’t been examined by Mets’ doctors. So far, no MRI.

After what happened with Matt Harvey, who is facing Tommy John surgery after a sore forearm was neglected, one would think the Mets would take a cue.

Usually, teams give their players physicals after the season, along with conditioning and rehab programs. Hopefully, Wheeler will get a full exam, including a MRI.

Personally, I believe all pitchers should receive a MRI after each season just to check the wear-and-tear on the arm.

Who knows if such a step were taken that the Mets might have known about Jeremy Hefner, who had Tommy John surgery.

The Mets were careless with Harvey, and the pitcher didn’t help himself by pitching with discomfort. They were also reckless with Jenrry Mejia, and let him pitch with bone spurs, even though they had him scheduled for surgery in the offseason.

I certainly hope Wheeler was paying attention this summer.

The Mets’ medical practices have long been criticized, and rightfully so. When Sandy Alderson was hired CEO Jeff Wilpon said there would be a new culture, and that included a change in the handling of injured players.

The route from when the injury occurred to how it was initially handled – first by the trainers and then the medical staff – and rehab after surgery would all be examined.

It has mostly been the same old story.

Now, after Harvey, we learn Wheeler’s sore shoulder was examined not by a Mets’ doctor, but an on-call physician at the park in Philadelphia.

And, instead of going back to New York for a MRI, he was allowed to dress up as a bride in the team’s annual rookie hazing.

Memo to Wheeler: You’re in the major leagues and have a sore shoulder. The honeymoon is over.

If the Mets won’t do it for you, then get your own MRI. It’s your future. Take care of it.

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When the New York Mets hired Sandy Alderson as general manager a new culture was promised, including the handling of injuries. It has not come to be. With the Mets and injuries, it remains “speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil.”

Another Mets mess with injuries.

Tightness in Matt Harvey’s elbow, and lack of response to it, could put his career in jeopardy. After talking of the need to protect Harvey by capping his innings, he is done for the year and possibly next season with a tear in his elbow that could require Tommy John surgery.

Tell me, is anybody shocked at how the Mets handled this?

Alderson said he knew about the forearm issue for around a month, which would be a week or so after the All-Star break. Terry Collins said he found out about it a few days ago. Harvey said he told the medical staff before the break, which is why his turn prior to the All-Star Game was cancelled.

One is telling the truth. Of the three, I believe Harvey.

Whenever a player, pitcher of not, receives treatment, a report is given to the general manager and manager. This makes Alderson’s and Collins’ comments “challengeable’’ at best. Does anybody seriously think the training staff would withhold information on Harvey receiving treatment?

Even if Alderson is telling the truth, why wasn’t a MRI ordered immediately? Not doing so is the epitome of irresponsibility. Alderson said the Mets didn’t make a trade because he wanted the team to finish strong. But, that objective doesn’t coincide with the need to protect the team’s best pitching prospect since Dwight Gooden.

What is the point of building for the future if you put your best pitcher at risk just to sell a few tickets and have the spotlight on him at the All-Star Game? Was is worth losing Harvey until possibly 2015?

As for Collins, there’s no way I believe he just found out about the injury. It puts his objectives in question and brings to light the problem of a lame duck manager. Collins’ primary goal is to win now and secure an extension, and if that means running Harvey out there with the blessing of the general manager, so be it. There is absolutely no way Collins didn’t know.

Having an asset such as Harvey and not protecting it with an immediate MRI exam the first time he complained of discomfort is reckless and stupid. It is having a Lamborghini and not parking it in a garage.

I understand Harvey’s competitive nature, but sooner or later he has to learn he’s in this for himself. It’s a team sport yes, but he can’t help anybody if he’s hurt. He has to raise his arm – before he’s unable to – and say, “something is wrong, I can’t pitch.’’ Nobody will think less of him.

By not raising a stink, Harvey cost himself the rest of this season and possibly all of next year with Tommy John surgery.

Yeah, I know injuries can happen at any time, but they are more likely to occur when the arm is sore and tight. Maybe it would have happened anyway, but we’ll never know. What we do know is the appearance of how the Mets handled this was fast and loose. Shoddy.

Yeah, yeah, I hear how dozens of pitchers recovered from Tommy John surgery, but how many have not? Surgery is not an exact science. I defy anybody to guarantee 100 percent the result of a surgery.

No doctor would make that assurance and considering their history in handling of injuries, the Mets definitely can’t.

This is a mess and if I’m Harvey, I’d be angry at myself for not being more proactive and at the Mets for their reckless handling of the injury.

As I’ve written dozens of times, when it comes to pitching injuries, always bet the over.

ON DECK: Will the Mets deal now?

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The bad news regarding Jonathon Niese has gotten worse – almost as bad as it can get for the New York Mets.

Niese, who left Thursday night’s game in Atlanta in the fourth inning because of pain in his left shoulder, was diagnosed with a partially torn rotator cuff. The announcement came less than an hour after manager Terry Collins was quoted as saying the injury wasn’t severe.

Collins’ comments only reinforced the understanding that under no circumstances, should the word of a Mets’ manager be taken when it comes to discussing the severity of an injury, which might have had its roots from Niese pitching in back-to-back sub-30-degree games in Minnesota and Denver.

Niese struggled after those starts and later complained of back stiffness. He later missed a start with shoulder tendinitis. What isn’t known, was how much Niese’s mechanics were altered by the cold-weather originated stiffness and if that strain eventually caused the tear.

Surgery is not immediately recommended the Mets said about an hour ago, but with this type of injury it usually is how these things end.

As was suggested earlier today, Niese was placed on the disabled list.

Speaking to reporters in Philadelphia, Mets assistant GM John Ricco said: “Hopefully, it will start healing itself and he won’t need surgery. But we’ll know more after a couple of weeks of rest. According to the doctors it’s a small-enough tear that with rest … they’re hopeful it won’t need surgery. It’s not ‘full thickness’ or a significant tear at this point.’’

If there’s no progress in that time, if the Mets wanted to add a player to their 40-man roster they could place Niese on the 60-day disabled list.

Niese recently missed a start because of tendinitis in his shoulder. Ricco said this is a new injury that didn’t show on a MRI at the time. That doesn’t mean Niese didn’t exasperate the injury by throwing with the tendinitis.

Reliever Greg Burke replaces Niese on the 25-man roster and the Mets’ rotation logjam took care of itself.

In a snarky comment, manager Collins told reporters: “You guys got your wish. There’s only five of them left.’’

It is as stupid a comment as a manager can make. No doubt Collins is frustrated, not only with his team, but also the persistent questioning of who would be bounced from the rotation.

The questioning is understandable since the Mets wanted to push things off by going to a six-man rotation. Reporters have to ask that question.

Collins’ answer implies the media wanted somebody to get hurt in order to get the answer. That’s not only absurd, but totally irresponsible.

It also won’t win Collins any points with the press if he needs the benefit of doubt when his job is on the line.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and I will attempt to answer them. Please follow me on Twitter @jdelcos